On the evening of October 27–28, while a three-star US Marine Corps officer advised the Israel Defence Forces on operations against ISIS in Iraq, the final phase of Israel’s attack to completely destroy Hamas got underway. Hamas has promised not to hold back its punches.
At the same time that the Israeli military declared it was “expanding” its ground operations, Palestinians reported a complete communication blackout in Gaza. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, made the announcement on October 27 as heavy airstrikes shook Gaza. Hagari reiterated earlier warnings to residents to flee, saying that the IDF is “operating forcefully” on all fronts and will “continue striking Gaza City.”
The US is thought to be heavily involved in the Gaza War, as evidenced by the Biden administration’s decision to dispatch a three-star general and several other US military personnel to counsel Israel’s military leadership. Lt Gen James Glynn is one of the officers from the Marine Corps who was dispatched. Glynn oversaw special operations for the Marines before joining the fight against ISIS in Iraq.
Although Glynn and the other US military personnel are not in charge of operations, they do advise the IDF on military matters about its strategies in Gaza. The anticipated ground assault by Israel has received much of this attention. The US has acquired valuable lessons from combating ISIS in Mosul, which the American officers have imparted.
Israel’s biggest armoured assault in Gaza is creating a favourable atmosphere for upcoming ground operations whose main objective would be to destroy Hamas, starting with Ismail Haniyeh and continuing until only one member remains.
At a press event organised by the Israel Embassy in India, Lt. Col (res) Peter Lerner, the IDF’s spokesperson for foreign media, stated that the political leadership has given the IDF the mission of totally destroying Hamas. This Palestinian gang staged the most ambitious attack from Gaza in history, shocking Israel.
This is how this confrontation differs from the others with Hamas. Now, we are battling until the very end,” Lerner remarked.
The Israel Air Force has been hitting the Gaza Strip nonstop up to this point. When will ground operations begin is one of the issues that is being asked.
To eliminate Hamas’ military capabilities, the Israeli government plans to conduct a full-scale military invasion. Numerous commentators have questioned if this can be accomplished and at what cost.
According to Lt. Col. Lerner, the purpose of the military offensives against Hamas is to reshape the battlefield so that the ground troops can accomplish their objectives.
In order to achieve this, Israel’s Merkava Mark IV tanks, infantry, and armoured engineering units burst through the border wall and rolled into the Gaza Strip for a mile on the night of October 26–27. One of the largest armoured raids during the night since the October 7 onslaught.
The mission, known as the “shaping operation,” was designed to give Israeli planners intelligence as the tanks fired shots at unnamed targets. The residential parts of Gaza City were avoided by the tanks.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari stated, “We eliminated terrorists, neutralised threats, dismantled explosives, and neutralised ambushes through the raid.”
According to their spokeswoman, this has been called “a tactical operation,” which indicates that its duration was brief and that all Israeli personnel returned to Israel unscathed. Among the vehicles were Puma armoured engineering vehicles, Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozers, and Merkava Mark lV main combat tanks.
“In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza. IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure, and anti-tank missile launch posts. The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a statement on social media platform ‘X’.
The bloodiest terror act on Israeli soil was carried out by Hamas on October 7, and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) quickly gathered large numbers of soldiers and military equipment near the border. The IDF has called up 300,000 reservists in addition to its regular force, and they reported to their bases in a matter of hours.
